Many in the entertainment industry are still mourning the sudden passing of Sam Rubin, an entertainment journalist who tragically lost his life at the age of 64 earlier this week.
One among them is Pauley Perrette, with the former NCIS star reliving her days as a working actress doing rounds of interviews and press while relying on the late Rubin’s familiar presence.
“We lost the amazing Sam Rubin today,” she penned in a lengthy tribute that accompanied an old clip of theirs together on KTLA5 News. “Sam has been the entertainment reporter at @ktla5news @ktla_entertainment for decades…but just SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT.”
She recalled some of the more personal details of their friendship off the screen, adding: “He was a friend and an excellent human.”
“Having to do endless interviews in the entertainment industry was not a pleasant part of my job, but then there was Sam. Couldn’t wait to see him on the red carpet or in an interview because he was real, he was fun and he was a friend.”
Pauley continued: “All love to my #ktla family and to Sam’s family. We are all in shock. Sam…YOU were the star. Love you.” Her former NCIS co-star Sasha Alexander responded with: “Oh Sam! The absolute best! I am so sad.”
While a cause of death hasn’t been explicitly confirmed, it is being reported that the longtime TV staple died of a heart attack. KTLA has been remembering his legacy consistently over the weekend, with his name even being flashed in lights across the SoFi Stadium in California.
Rubin had built special relationships with numerous Hollywood stars over his three-decade long tenure in the entertainment journalism industry, and had co-authored two biographies, one on former First Lady Jacqueline Onassis and the second on actress Mia Farrow.